Top Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Israelis had voted "no to peace" after exit polls following the country's high-stakes national election showed left-wing parties suffering major losses and right-wing incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his centrist challenger Benny Gantz neck and neck.
"Israelis have voted to preserve the status quo. They have said no to peace and yes to the occupation," Erekat said in a statement.
Netanyahu appeared headed toward re-election early Wednesday, as close-to-complete unofficial results showed him pulling ahead of Gantz in a tight race seen as a referendum on the long-serving leader.
With a victory, Netanyahu would capture a fourth consecutive term and fifth overall, which this summer will make him Israel's longest-ever serving leader. Re-election will give him an important boost as he braces for the likelihood of criminal charges in a series of corruption scandals.
In Israel, the president is the one who assigns the task to the lawmaker he feels is best positioned to form a viable coalition. There has been much speculation as to who would receive the president's recommendation, given that polls project the right-wing bloc earning more seats collectively.
Israel's right-wing parties are opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and advocate for annexing parts of Judea and Samaria where Jewish settlement blocs are concentrated.
Earlier Tuesday, PA President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his hope that Israel's general elections could help bring peace to the troubled region.
The 84-year-old Palestinian leader did not voice his support for a particular candidate, but said he hoped Israel's new government would work toward "peace in ours, theirs and the world's interests." He said Palestinians hope Israel will "come to the negotiating table" under new leadership.
The PA, based in Ramallah, has frozen ties with the United States after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital in December 2017, moving its embassy from Tel Aviv several months later.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.
